Quattro Canti
Palermo
Where Palermo's two main streets meet, the Quattro Canti form an elegant octagonal Baroque square. Their decorated façades depict the seasons, kings and the city's patron saints. Your treasure map takes you to the theatrical heart where the four historic mandamenti (districts) meet.
History
The Quattro Canti ("four corners"), officially Piazza Vigliena, were built in the early 17th century, between 1609 and 1620, at the crossing of the two main thoroughfares of Palermo's historic centre: corso Vittorio Emanuele and via Maqueda. Their creation symbolically divided the city into its four historic mandamenti, giving the urban heart a scenographic order.
What to see
The square has a distinctive octagonal shape, defined by the four concave façades of the corner buildings, richly decorated in Baroque style. Each façade rises over several levels with statues and fountains.
The decoration follows a precise scheme: at the bottom, fountains with the rivers of the ancient city; above them, allegories of the four seasons; then statues of the kings of Spain; and at the top, the four historic patron saints of Palermo's mandamenti: Cristina, Ninfa, Oliva and Agata.
Curiosities
The Quattro Canti are also nicknamed the "Teatro del Sole" (Theatre of the Sun), because over the course of the day sunlight gradually lights up the four corner façades of the square, one after the other.
Visiting
The square is a pedestrian crossroads of the historic centre, always open. From here the Fontana Pretoria, the Cathedral and Palermo's main monuments are just a few minutes away on foot.
